This year’s events remind us the unexpected and unthinkable can happen at any time. Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone touched by tragedy. Hurricanes, earthquakes, the devastating wildfires caused untold destruction and loss of life. They’ve left many feeling vulnerable and anxious.

Where would you turn in a time of crisis for support? Who listens to your fears?

We do. Our Crisis Center volunteers are here to help and to listen, just as they have since we first opened in 1963. That’s why your support is more critical than ever. Please consider a gift this year.

In addition to crisis intervention, we provide grief support and our 2-1-1 line which helps people make timely connections to safety-new resources. And to support the safety net, we recently added Share the Spirit and Corporate Volunteer Week. Donors like you make this possible, alongside our dedicated board, volunteers and staff. Together we create a safety net for anyone in need, whatever their income, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or citizenship status.

Rob Park, board member, has seen the value of safety-net services firsthand.

He is a psychologist at Kaiser Permanente, working with children, adolescents, and families throughout Contra Costa County. He knows how emotional stress and catastrophic events impact individuals and families.

Rob said, “The Crisis Center is such an important safety-net for the entire county. Working in the mental health field, I understand the vital role a crisis intervention volunteer fills when someone is in deep distress. What I didn’t know is that volunteers and staff receive calls from individuals and families in all types of crisis – from homelessness and food insecurity to joblessness, elder abuse and drug addiction. Staff maintains an extensive database so we can provide current information on local services.”

“What surprised me most is that this critical work is not fully publicly funded. That means each year, to keep these call lines open, the Crisis enter needs to reach out and ask our donors to support this life affirming work. I’ve never viewed myself as a fundraiser, but I am inspired by our dedicated staff and volunteers. The Crisis Center is an amazing asset to the community and I want people to know about it and support this work.”

Our trained volunteers, dedicated staff and generous donors, like you, keep our work alive so we can be here when needed. In 2017, we’ve received 23,738 calls on the 2-1-1 line from people seeking basic assistance or shelter. Our crisis lines received 20,626 crisis intervention calls.

Please give generously. Your donations shares light and hope with the lives of so many. On behalf of the Crisis Center volunteers, board, and staff, I thank you for your support.